Limitations

More so than the statutory services we do have limitations the first of which is of course financial. For instance we must generate all of our income year on year and do not have the apparent luxury of negotiating with government authorities for a year’s operational budget. Therefore the charity being totally dependant the public and our own initiative constantly has to address the following questions:

• Where will we get income from this year?
• What level of income will we generate?
• Will the income be enough to maintain the current level of service?
• Will there be sufficient surplus income to improve the service?

The answer to these questions only becomes apparent as the year progresses and if during that year we encounter unforeseen difficulties effecting expenditure or income there is little to be done other than appeal to the generosity of the public.

Generally however we do manage to remain productive as indicated by the increase in missions flown this year and the retention of a healthy reserve. However it should be noted that those charities (particularly associated with the public sector) which are heavily reliant on government grants or service level agreements have been hit hardest by the recession and the inevitable cutbacks. Many charities have reported significant drops in income, an erosion of their reserve funds, staff redundancies and a reduced service, therefore we should note their predicament and very carefully consider the question “should the government fund air ambulances”, and be aware that what a government gives it can also justifiably take away when money becomes tight. However in our case being totally independent we can categorically state that so long as the general public support us we will be there for the general public.   

Limitations

Circumstances will be encountered during any year that will limit the level of service we would always like to provide however these are usually temporary:

• We rely entirely on any one of three ambulance services in our region to activate the air ambulance appropriately, if they fail to do so we cannot help.
• Even with three helicopters on duty there will always be times where demand exceeds availability.
• We cannot fly in bad weather or activate to emergencies in the dark this is not just common sense but also legislated against and effects all air ambulance operations
• Although we directly employ our own operational staff to ensure maintenance of quality like any business our ability to operate fully can be inhibited by short term unplanned absence.
• The planned maintenance of a helicopter can neither be avoided nor delayed. When the regulated cycle of hours is expired the helicopter is grounded until maintenance, replacement or repair is completed and as this is determined by hours flown it is impossible to diary these service intervals or the time it takes to complete them.
• Unscheduled maintenance e.g. breakdown happens when you least expect and can take time to secure and replace new components. If this occurs whilst another helicopter is undergoing planned maintenance like it or not we are two helicopters down.

Naturally we will always try to anticipate potential problems and do our best to maintain a full service however despite our best endeavours these problems occur therefore all we ask of the media and general public is their understanding and judge us on our overall progress. Remember that our aim ‘to provide the best critical care air ambulance service in the country’ is always foremost in our minds regardless of any short term difficulty.